There are afternoons when the final score tells you almost everything you need to know.

Ohio State’s 42-19 victory over Illinois wasn’t quite one of them.

The seventh-ranked Buckeyes opened Big Ten play with a convincing win, improved to 3-1 overall and 1-0 in the conference, retained the Illibuck and extended their winning streak over Illinois to 10 games. The offense produced 518 yards, Julian Sayin threw for 367 and Ohio State never trailed.

And somehow those numbers still weren’t the biggest story inside Ohio Stadium.

That belonged, once again, to Jeremiah Smith.

One week after becoming Ohio State’s all-time leader in career receiving yards, Smith produced perhaps the finest individual game of his already remarkable Buckeye career. He caught 12 passes for 217 yards and four touchdowns, setting career highs in all three categories while tying the Ohio State single-game record for touchdown receptions. Smith became just the fifth Buckeye receiver to catch four touchdowns in a game and the first since Noah Brown did it at Oklahoma in 2016. His 217 receiving yards also tied for sixth-most in a game in Ohio State history.

It was spectacular.

The other side of Saturday’s story was considerably less comfortable.

Illinois finished with 462 yards of offense, including 199 rushing yards, and averaged 6.5 yards per play. The Illini moved the football consistently enough that they had possession in Ohio State territory while trailing only 28-13 early in the fourth quarter. Ohio State’s defense ultimately made the necessary stops, but after watching Texas erase a 20-point deficit two weeks ago, allowing another opponent to sustain long drives and create significant rushing lanes deserves more attention than the final 23-point margin might suggest.

So Saturday was both things.

A good Big Ten win.

And a game that exposed something Ohio State needs to fix before the schedule becomes considerably less forgiving.

FINAL WHISTLE: OHIO STATE 42, ILLINOIS 19

Ohio State didn’t waste much time establishing what its offensive plan would look like.

The Buckeyes took the opening possession 75 yards in nine plays, and Sayin found Smith from seven yards out for the first touchdown of the afternoon. After the defense forced an Illinois punt, Ohio State started at its own seven-yard line and needed only four plays to cover 93 yards.

Most of that came on one snap.

Sayin found Smith streaking down the middle of the field for a 72-yard touchdown, the second-longest reception of Smith’s Ohio State career, and suddenly the Buckeyes were ahead 14-0. Smith caught the ball well downfield, turned Illinois defender Mac Resetich around with a move in the open field and finished the play himself.

Illinois, however, provided the first indication that this wasn’t going to resemble the Kent State game.

The Illini answered with a six-play, 75-yard drive, capped by Jordan Anderson’s 22-yard touchdown run. Illinois suddenly had seven points and, more importantly, had demonstrated that it could move the football against Ohio State.

The Buckeyes answered with one of their more impressive sustained possessions of the young season. Ohio State drove 96 yards on 19 plays, using more than eight minutes of game clock before Smith somehow found another way to make a touchdown look different from the first two.

Covered tightly near the corner of the end zone, Smith secured Sayin’s pass and managed to get his left foot down for a nine-yard touchdown. The play was reviewed and upheld, giving Ohio State a 21-7 lead and Smith his third touchdown before halftime.

Illinois answered with a field goal, but Ohio State again closed the half aggressively. The Buckeyes traveled 75 yards in just 1:17, and Sayin finished the drive with a seven-yard scramble with 15 seconds remaining.

Ohio State went into halftime leading 28-10.

Considering what happened in Austin two weeks earlier, the next question was obvious.

Could the Buckeyes finish?

THE THIRD QUARTER CREATED SOME UNEASINESS

For much of the afternoon, Ohio State maintained a comfortable scoreboard advantage without completely controlling the game.

That became especially apparent after halftime.

The Buckeyes were shut out in the third quarter, while Illinois opened the half with a 13-play drive that consumed more than five minutes. The Illini settled for a 44-yard field goal, cutting the deficit to 28-13.

Ohio State couldn’t answer immediately, and Illinois put together another extended possession that carried into the fourth quarter. At that point, the Illini were in Ohio State territory and a touchdown would have suddenly reduced the lead to one possession.

This is where the game deserves a little more context than the final score provides.

Illinois never pulled closer than 15 points, but the Buckeyes weren’t simply cruising through an uneventful second half. The Illini had moved the football effectively enough to create an opportunity to change the complexion of the afternoon.

Ohio State’s defense finally produced the stop it needed, ending a 13-play, 74-yard Illinois possession on downs while preserving the 28-13 lead.

This time, unlike at Texas, the offense answered.

The Buckeyes marched 80 yards in eight plays, and Sayin found Smith wide open for a 26-yard touchdown with 10:11 remaining.

Touchdown number four.

Game effectively over.

Illinois later added a 27-yard touchdown pass from Katin Houser to Ty Robinson, but Ja’Kobi Jackson finished Ohio State’s scoring with a two-yard touchdown run.

The final score looked comfortable.

Getting there wasn’t quite as effortless as 42-19 might suggest.

BUCKEYE SPOTLIGHT: JEREMIAH SMITH PUTS ON A SHOW

We’re reaching the point where writing about Jeremiah Smith requires finding increasingly ridiculous ways to explain something that has started to look almost routine.

Saturday wasn’t routine.

It was special even by his standards.

Smith finished with 12 receptions, 217 yards and four touchdowns. All three numbers represented career highs. His four touchdown receptions tied Ohio State’s single-game record, joining Bob Grimes, Terry Glenn, Dane Sanzenbacher and Noah Brown as the only Buckeye receivers to accomplish it. His 217 yards tied for sixth-most in a game in school history, while his 12 catches also tied for sixth.

The variety might have been the most impressive part.

His first touchdown was a seven-yard score created by leverage near the goal line. The second was a 72-yard explosive play where Smith simply ran away from the Illinois secondary. The third required body control and a toe near the sideline. The fourth came because Illinois somehow lost track of the most dangerous player on the field, leaving Smith open for a 26-yard score.

There really wasn’t one answer.

Press him and he can beat the corner.

Play off and Ohio State will take the easy completion.

Lose leverage and he can run past the secondary.

Bracket him and someone else theoretically gets a favorable matchup.

That last part is going to become increasingly important, because opponents are eventually going to decide that letting Smith produce 217 yards and four touchdowns is not an acceptable defensive strategy.

But until they actually take him away, Ohio State has no reason to stop feeding him the football.

One week after becoming the program’s career receiving-yardage leader, Smith added another line to an increasingly crowded Ohio State record book.

At this point, the question isn’t whether Smith is going to continue breaking records.

It’s which one comes next.

JULIAN SAYIN CONTINUES TO GROW

Smith’s numbers naturally dominate the offensive conversation, but those touchdowns require somebody to put the football in his hands.

Julian Sayin was excellent.

Ohio State’s quarterback completed 27 of 36 passes for 367 yards and four touchdowns, did not turn the football over and added a seven-yard rushing touchdown just before halftime. It was one of the most complete performances of Sayin’s Ohio State career.

More importantly, Sayin looked comfortable operating the entire offense.

The deep touchdown to Smith obviously jumps off the screen, but Sayin was equally effective taking underneath completions and moving Ohio State methodically down the field. The 19-play, 96-yard touchdown drive was almost the opposite of the 72-yard strike that preceded it, and that’s encouraging.

Ohio State doesn’t need every possession to be explosive.

It needs to be able to win games in different ways.

Against Illinois, Sayin showed he can patiently take what’s available and then attack when the opportunity presents itself.

The Texas loss remains part of his development. There will eventually be another moment when Ohio State needs its quarterback to deliver with the game hanging in the balance.

But since that night in Austin, Sayin has responded with two efficient performances and has continued looking more comfortable running the offense.

That’s exactly what Ohio State needs entering October.

THE RUN GAME: BETTER, BUT STILL SECONDARY

Ohio State’s running game wasn’t dominant Saturday, but there were encouraging stretches.

Ja’Kobi Jackson led the Buckeyes with 56 yards on 10 carries, while Bo Jackson added 53 yards on 11 attempts. Sayin contributed 29 yards and a touchdown on the ground, and Ohio State finished with 151 rushing yards on 32 attempts.

Those numbers aren’t overwhelming, but they are respectable against a Big Ten defense and considerably more meaningful than piling up rushing yards against Ball State or Kent State.

The Jacksons both averaged close to or above five yards per carry, and Ohio State was able to use the ground game as part of several sustained possessions.

Still, the offense clearly runs through Sayin and Smith right now.

That’s not necessarily a problem.

When your quarterback throws for 367 yards and your best player catches four touchdowns, forcing balance simply for the sake of balance would be unnecessary. But Ohio State’s ability to run when opponents expect it remains important, particularly as the Buckeyes prepare to go back on the road.

The real test may come next week.

Kinnick Stadium rarely rewards teams that become one-dimensional.

THE DEFENSE: THE SCORE LOOKS BETTER THAN THE FILM

This is where Saturday becomes complicated.

Holding a Big Ten opponent to 19 points is normally a result Ohio State will happily accept.

Allowing 462 yards, however, is harder to dismiss.

Illinois’ total was the most offense generated by an Ohio State opponent since Oregon produced 496 yards in 2024, and it was the most by an opponent at Ohio Stadium since Michigan gained 530 in 2022.

The biggest concern came on the ground.

Illinois rushed for 199 yards on 33 attempts, an average of roughly six yards per carry. Aidan Laughery was particularly effective, carrying only 11 times but producing 113 yards, becoming the first running back to top 100 yards at Ohio Stadium since Michigan’s Kalel Mullings in 2024.

That’s significant.

The defense can point to the scoreboard, and it should. Illinois reached the red zone while trailing 28-13 early in the fourth quarter and Ohio State made the stop. The Buckeyes also held Illinois to field goals on two long possessions that could have produced touchdowns.

Those are winning plays.

But this cannot become a pattern.

Texas exposed Ohio State late by sustaining drives. Illinois found success doing something similar for stretches Saturday, albeit without finishing those possessions nearly as effectively.

The concern isn’t that Illinois scored 19.

It’s how often the Illini moved the football before being stopped.

RUN DEFENSE DESERVES THE MOST ATTENTION

Illinois entered the afternoon with a capable offense. Houser had been efficient through the first three games, and receiver Collin Dixon arrived as one of the country’s most productive touchdown threats. Ohio State deserves credit for keeping Dixon out of the end zone and limiting him to five catches for 63 yards.

The rushing defense is harder to explain.

Illinois repeatedly found creases at the line of scrimmage and reached the second level. Laughery averaged more than 10 yards per carry, Jordan Anderson scored from 22 yards out, and Ca’Lil Valentine added another 47 yards on 10 carries.

Not all 199 yards were created equally, and Ohio State made stops when Illinois approached the goal line.

But the defensive front and linebackers are going to see that tape again.

And again.

Iowa will see it.

Indiana will see it.

USC and Oregon will certainly see it.

Once opponents identify something they believe can be exploited, college football becomes a weekly test of whether you’ve corrected it.

The Buckeyes have seven days to begin providing an answer.

ONE ENCOURAGING DEFENSIVE DETAIL: BEND DIDN’T BECOME BREAK

There is another way to view the defensive performance that shouldn’t be ignored.

Illinois gained 462 yards and still scored only 19 points.

That doesn’t happen accidentally.

The Buckeyes tightened when the field became shorter, forced Illinois to settle for two field goals and produced the critical fourth-down stop early in the fourth quarter when the game still had a chance to become uncomfortable.

That’s important.

Yardage is useful for evaluating performance, but points determine games.

Ohio State repeatedly made Illinois work for its production. The Illini ran 71 plays and held the football for more than 30 minutes but managed only two touchdowns.

So the defensive takeaway isn’t that Ohio State suddenly has a bad defense.

It is that there are cracks showing up between the 20s that better opponents may be able to turn into points.

That’s a meaningful distinction.

And it is probably exactly what Matt Patricia and the defensive staff will emphasize this week.

A QUIETLY IMPORTANT DEVELOPMENT: THE OFFENSE FINISHED THIS TIME

Two weeks ago in Austin, Ohio State entered the fourth quarter leading 23-3 and never scored again.

Saturday provided a smaller version of that test.

Illinois cut the lead to 28-13 and drove deep into Ohio State territory early in the fourth quarter. Had the Illini scored, Ohio Stadium suddenly would have become considerably less comfortable.

The defense got the fourth-down stop.

Then the offense delivered the response that never came in Texas.

Ohio State went 80 yards and put the football in Smith’s hands for his fourth touchdown.

That sequence matters.

The Buckeyes didn’t simply protect a lead. They extended it.

It’s easy to say Ohio State should have done exactly that because Illinois isn’t Texas, but developing the habit of answering an opponent’s run is part of learning how to finish games.

Saturday, Ohio State did.

WHAT STILL NEEDS WORK

The defense will dominate the film room, particularly the run fits and tackling on plays that allowed Illinois backs into the secondary. Giving up 199 rushing yards at home is not something Ohio State can comfortably carry into the difficult portion of its Big Ten schedule.

There were other smaller issues.

Ohio State was penalized seven times for 59 yards, a number that didn’t hurt the Buckeyes significantly Saturday but continues a season-long theme of giving away unnecessary yardage. The Buckeyes also failed to create a turnover, meaning Illinois was able to run 71 offensive plays without ever providing Ohio State with a short field.

The pass rush also didn’t consistently wreck the game. Ohio State finally got to Houser late, including a fourth-quarter sack, but much of Illinois’ offensive success came because Houser had enough time to find intermediate completions and because the running game kept the Illini out of obvious passing situations.

None of these issues outweigh the result.

Ohio State won by 23.

But if we’re trying to understand whether this team can compete for another championship rather than simply whether it can beat Illinois, the standard has to be higher than the scoreboard.

PLAYOFF IMPLICATIONS: ONE BIG TEN WIN DOWN

Ohio State’s playoff situation remains relatively straightforward.

The Buckeyes’ only loss remains a one-point defeat at No. 1 Texas, which beat No. 14 Tennessee 20-17 on Saturday and remains undefeated. Ohio State can’t control how the Texas season ultimately unfolds, but every Longhorn victory potentially provides more context for what happened in Austin.

More importantly, Ohio State can control what happens in the Big Ten.

The Buckeyes are now 3-1 overall and 1-0 in conference play, and Saturday’s victory was Ohio State’s 15th consecutive win in a Big Ten opener.

The conference schedule will provide plenty of opportunities to build the résumé. Iowa awaits next week, followed later by road games at Indiana and USC, a home matchup with Oregon and, of course, Michigan at the end of November. Ohio State’s remaining schedule gives the Buckeyes every opportunity to make the September loss at Texas little more than an early-season blemish.

The formula doesn’t require much analysis.

Keep winning.

A comfortable conference victory over Illinois isn’t going to define Ohio State’s playoff résumé, but conference championships and playoff appearances are built by stacking exactly these kinds of Saturdays.

Ohio State got the first one.

THE BUCKEYE50 TAKEAWAY

If you only look at the scoreboard, Saturday was exactly what Ohio State needed.

The Buckeyes beat Illinois 42-19, opened Big Ten play with a victory, kept the Illibuck in Columbus and received a historic performance from one of the best players ever to wear scarlet and gray.

There is a lot to like.

Sayin continues to mature. The offense generated more than 500 yards. Ohio State put together both explosive touchdown drives and long, methodical ones. The running game produced respectable numbers against a conference opponent, and when Illinois had an opportunity to make things interesting in the fourth quarter, Ohio State made a defensive stop and immediately answered with a touchdown.

That is progress.

And then there are the 462 yards.

There are the 199 rushing yards.

There is an Illinois running back averaging more than 10 yards per carry.

Those numbers don’t erase a 23-point win, but neither should the 23-point win erase those numbers.

Ohio State’s defense has now shown two moments this season where sustained offensive success by an opponent has become concerning. Texas turned it into 21 fourth-quarter points and a comeback. Illinois wasn’t nearly as efficient at finishing drives, which kept Saturday from becoming anything more than mildly uncomfortable.

Better teams may not be so forgiving.

That’s the balance coming out of this one.

Ohio State should feel good about where the offense is going. Sayin appears increasingly comfortable. The running game is finding some footing. And Jeremiah Smith is doing things that have become almost impossible to adequately describe.

The defense?

There is work to do.

Fortunately for Ohio State, it gets to do that work while sitting at 1-0 in the Big Ten with another trophy in the Woody Hayes Athletic Center.

NEXT UP: A VERY DIFFERENT TEST IN IOWA CITY

Ohio State won’t have another tune-up before discovering whether some of Saturday’s defensive issues have been corrected.

The Buckeyes travel to Iowa City next Saturday to face No. 17 Iowa at 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS.

And Kinnick Stadium presents a very different challenge.

Ohio State hasn’t played in Iowa City since the disastrous 55-24 loss in 2017, and regardless of what either roster looks like, road games at Kinnick have a tendency to become uncomfortable. Ohio State will need to take care of the football, remain patient offensively and — perhaps most importantly after Saturday — prove that the run defense can be considerably more disciplined.

Illinois showed Ohio State exactly where it needs to improve.

Iowa gets the first opportunity to see whether it actually did.

Final: No. 7 Ohio State 42, Illinois 19

Ohio State Record: 3-1 (1-0 Big Ten)

Jeremiah Smith: 12 catches, 217 yards, 4 touchdowns

Next: No. 7 Ohio State at No. 17 Iowa — Saturday, October 3, 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS

The Illibuck stays in Columbus.

The Buckeyes are 1-0 in the Big Ten.

And Jeremiah Smith just keeps rewriting the record book.

Photo Credit: Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch